Built from
lived experience.
Led with love.
Founded by a Black trans woman who survived homelessness, incarceration, and violence — Baltimore Safe Haven exists because Iya Dammons refused to let her community face those roads alone.
Iya Dammons —
visionary, survivor, architect
of radical care.
"I built the place I needed when I was in survival mode — because no one should have to navigate that alone."
Iya Dammons is a Black trans woman activist, advocate, and community builder who founded Baltimore Safe Haven in 2018 with lived experience of homelessness, survival sex work, and incarceration. She built BSH from the ground up — out of urgency, love, and the conviction that her community deserved more than systems designed to exclude them.
Under her leadership, BSH has grown from a grassroots effort into Baltimore's leading trans-led provider of wraparound services — housing, health, harm reduction, legal support, workforce development, and community. BSH's work has earned national recognition, including a TIME Magazine cover feature and coverage across major media outlets.
Iya serves on the Maryland Department of Health's PRIDE Steering Committee, coordinates statewide health equity strategy, and is a sought-after speaker on trans justice, Black liberation, and community-centered care.
From survival mode
to a national model.
Baltimore Safe Haven began as a grassroots response to a crisis. Today it is a leading provider of trans-affirming wraparound services — and proof that community-led solutions work.
Our work is guided by
community, dignity, and care.
Baltimore Safe Haven exists to empower TLGBQIA+ individuals navigating survival mode — with the belief that everyone deserves a safe place to land and the resources to thrive.
The people behind
every door we open.
Our staff are community members, advocates, and experts — many with lived experience of the challenges our clients face.
Our story has been
heard nationally.
We are Baltimore.
Bring Iya's voice to
your stage or screen.
Iya Dammons is a nationally recognized speaker on trans justice, Black liberation, community-led health equity, and survivor advocacy. Available for conferences, panels, keynotes, and media appearances.
Our work is made possible through the generosity of organizations committed to health equity and trans justice.
Join us in building
a safer Baltimore.
Whether you give, partner, volunteer, or simply share our story — you are part of this community.